Submarine-launched ballistic missile: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Self-propelled gravity-assisted guided weapon flying from an independent underwater craft}}
{{Short description|Self-propelled gravity-assisted guided weapon flying from an independent underwater craft}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
[[File:Trident missile launch.jpg|thumb|A [[UGM-96 Trident I]] clears the water after launch from a US Navy submarine in 1984]]
[[File:Trident missile launch.jpg|thumb|A [[UGM-96 Trident I]] clears the water after launch from a US Navy submarine in 1984.]]


A '''submarine-launched ballistic missile''' ('''SLBM''') is a [[ballistic missile]] capable of being launched from [[Ballistic missile submarine|submarine]]s. Modern variants usually deliver [[multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle]]s (MIRVs) each of which carries a [[thermonuclear weapon|nuclear]] [[warhead]] and allows a single launched missile to strike several targets. Submarine-launched ballistic missiles operate in a different way from [[submarine-launched cruise missile]]s.
A '''submarine-launched ballistic missile''' ('''SLBM''') is a [[ballistic missile]] capable of being launched from [[Ballistic missile submarine|submarine]]s. Modern variants usually deliver [[multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle]]s (MIRVs), each of which carries a [[thermonuclear weapon|nuclear]] [[warhead]] and allows a single launched missile to strike several targets. Submarine-launched ballistic missiles operate in a different way from [[submarine-launched cruise missile]]s.


Modern submarine-launched ballistic missiles are closely related to [[intercontinental ballistic missiles]], with ranges of over {{convert|5500|km|nmi}}, and in many cases SLBMs and ICBMs may be part of the same family of weapons.
Modern submarine-launched ballistic missiles are closely related to [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s (ICBMs), with ranges of over {{convert|5500|km|nmi}}, and in many cases SLBMs and ICBMs may be part of the same family of weapons.


==History==
==History==
===Origins===
===Origins===
The first practical design of a [[submarine]]-based launch platform was developed by the Germans near the end of [[World War II]] involving a launch tube which contained a [[V-2 rocket|V-2 ballistic missile]] variant and was towed behind a submarine, known by the code-name [[V-2 rocket#Unfulfilled plans|''Prüfstand XII'']]. The war ended before it could be tested, but the engineers who had worked on it were taken to work for the United States ([[Operation Paperclip]]) and for the Soviet Union on their SLBM programs. These and other early SLBM systems required vessels to be surfaced when they fired missiles, but launch systems eventually were adapted to allow [[underwater]] launching in the 1950-1960s. A converted [[Project 611]] (Zulu-IV class) [[submarine]] launched the world's first SLBM, an [[R-11FM]] (SS-N-1 Scud-A, naval variant of the SS-1 [[Scud]]) on 16 September 1955.<ref name="Wade R-11">{{cite web |url=http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/r11.htm |title=R-11 |access-date=23 April 2011 |last=Wade |first=Mark |publisher=[[Encyclopedia Astronautica]]}}</ref> Five additional Project V611 and AV611 (Zulu-V class) [[Submarine]]s became the world's first operational [[ballistic missile]] submarines (SSBs) with two R-11FM missiles each, entering service in 1956–57.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_611.htm|title=Large submarines - Project 611|website=russianships.info}}</ref>
The first practical design of a [[submarine]]-based launch platform was developed by the Germans near the end of [[World War II]] involving a launch tube which contained a [[V-2 rocket|V-2 ballistic missile]] variant and was towed behind a submarine, known by the code-name [[V-2 rocket#Unfulfilled plans|''Prüfstand XII'']]. The war ended before it could be tested, but the engineers who had worked on it were taken to work for the United States ([[Operation Paperclip]]) and for the Soviet Union on their SLBM programs. These and other early SLBM systems required vessels to be surfaced when they fired missiles, but launch systems eventually were adapted to allow [[underwater]] launching in the 1950-1960s. A converted [[Project 611]] (Zulu-IV class) submarine launched the world's first SLBM, an [[R-11FM]] (SS-N-1 Scud-A, naval variant of the SS-1 [[Scud]]) on 16 September 1955.<ref name="Wade R-11">{{cite web |url=http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/r11.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020309175348/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/r11.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 March 2002 |title=R-11 |access-date=23 April 2011 |last=Wade |first=Mark |publisher=[[Encyclopedia Astronautica]]}}</ref> Five additional Project V611 and AV611 (Zulu-V class) submarines became the world's first operational [[ballistic missile]] submarines (SSBs) with two R-11FM missiles each, entering service in 1956–57.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_611.htm|title=Large submarines – Project 611|website=russianships.info}}</ref>


The [[United States Navy]] initially worked on a sea-based variant of the [[US Army]] [[PGM-19 Jupiter|Jupiter]] [[intermediate-range ballistic missile]], projecting four of the large, liquid-fueled missiles per [[submarine]].<ref name="Friedman, pp. 192–195">Friedman, pp. 192–195</ref> Rear Admiral [[William Raborn|W. F. "Red" Raborn]] headed a Special Project Office to develop Jupiter for the Navy, beginning in late 1955.<ref name="Friedman, pp. 192–195"/><ref name="heroicrelics.org"/> However, at the [[Project Nobska]] submarine warfare conference in 1956, physicist [[Edward Teller]] stated that a physically small one-megaton [[warhead]] could be produced for the relatively small, solid-fueled [[Polaris missile]],<ref>{{cite book | last = Teller | first = Edward | title = Memoirs: A Twentieth Century Journey in Science and Politics | publisher = Perseus Publishing | year = 2001 | location = Cambridge, Massachusetts | pages = [https://archive.org/details/memoirstwentieth0000tell/page/420 420–421] | url = https://archive.org/details/memoirstwentieth0000tell/page/420 | isbn = 0-7382-0532-X | url-access = registration }}</ref> and this prompted the Navy to leave the Jupiter program in December of that year. Soon [[Chief of Naval Operations]] Admiral [[Arleigh Burke]] concentrated all Navy strategic research on [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris]], still under Admiral Raborn's Special Project Office.<ref name="heroicrelics.org">{{cite web|url=http://heroicrelics.org/info/jupiter/jupiter-hist.html|title=History of the Jupiter Missile System|website=heroicrelics.org}}</ref> All US SLBMs have been solid-fueled while all [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] and Russian SLBMs have been liquid-fueled except for the Russian [[RSM-56 Bulava]], which entered service in 2014.
The [[United States Navy]] initially worked on a sea-based variant of the [[US Army]] [[PGM-19 Jupiter|Jupiter]] [[intermediate-range ballistic missile]], projecting four of the large, liquid-fueled missiles per submarine.<ref name="Friedman, pp. 192–195">Friedman, pp. 192–195</ref> Rear Admiral [[William Raborn|W. F. "Red" Raborn]] headed a Special Project Office to develop Jupiter for the Navy, beginning in late 1955.<ref name="Friedman, pp. 192–195"/><ref name="heroicrelics.org"/> However, at the [[Project Nobska]] submarine warfare conference in 1956, physicist [[Edward Teller]] stated that a physically small one-megaton [[warhead]] could be produced for the relatively small, solid-fueled [[Polaris missile]],<ref>{{cite book | last = Teller | first = Edward | title = Memoirs: A Twentieth Century Journey in Science and Politics | publisher = Perseus Publishing | year = 2001 | location = Cambridge, Massachusetts | pages = [https://archive.org/details/memoirstwentieth0000tell/page/420 420–421] | url = https://archive.org/details/memoirstwentieth0000tell/page/420 | isbn = 0-7382-0532-X | url-access = registration }}</ref> and this prompted the Navy to leave the Jupiter program in December of that year. Soon [[Chief of Naval Operations]] Admiral [[Arleigh Burke]] concentrated all Navy strategic research on [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris]], still under Admiral Raborn's Special Project Office.<ref name="heroicrelics.org">{{cite web|url=http://heroicrelics.org/info/jupiter/jupiter-hist.html|title=History of the Jupiter Missile System|website=heroicrelics.org}}</ref> All US SLBMs have been solid-fueled while all [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] and Russian SLBMs have been liquid-fueled except for the Russian [[RSM-56 Bulava]], which entered service in 2014.


[[File:Polaris-a1.jpg|right|thumb|[[Polaris missile|Polaris A-1]]]]
[[File:Polaris-a1.jpg|right|thumb|[[Polaris missile|Polaris A-1]]]]
The world's first operational nuclear-powered [[ballistic missile submarine]] (SSBN) was {{USS|George Washington|SSBN-598}} with 16 [[Polaris missile|Polaris A-1]] missiles, which entered service in December 1959 and conducted the first SSBN deterrent patrol November 1960 – January 1961.<ref>Friedman, p. 196</ref> ''George Washington'' also conducted the first successful submerged SLBM launch with a Polaris A-1 on 20 July 1960.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1963/1963%20-%201949.html |title=Missiles 1963 |journal=[[Flight International]] |date=7 November 1963 |page=752}}</ref> Forty days later, the Soviet Union made its first successful underwater launch of a submarine ballistic missile in the White Sea, on 10 September 1960 from the same converted [[Project 611]] ([[NATO reporting name]] Zulu-IV class) submarine that first launched the R-11FM.<ref name=NiZ>{{cite web |url=http://www.nkj.ru/archive/articles/10079/ |title=Start razreshaju (in Russian) |access-date=23 April 2011 |last=Dygalo|first=V.A. |publisher=[[Nauka i Zhizn']]}}</ref> The Soviets were only a year behind the US with their first SSBN, the [[Soviet submarine K-19|ill-fated K-19]] of [[Hotel-class submarine|Project 658]] (Hotel class), commissioned in November 1960. However, the Hotel class carried only three [[R-13 (missile)|R-13 missiles]] (NATO reporting name SS-N-4) each and had to surface and raise the missile to launch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_658.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines - Project 658|website=russianships.info}}</ref> Submerged launch was not an operational capability for the Soviets until 1963, when the [[R-21 (missile)|R-21 missile]] (SS-N-5) was first backfitted to Project 658 (Hotel class) and [[Golf-class submarine|Project 629]] (Golf class) submarines.<ref name="Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 355–357">Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 355–357</ref> The Soviet Union was able to beat the U.S. in launching and testing the first SLBM with a live nuclear warhead, an [[R-13 (missile)|R-13]] that detonated in the [[Novaya Zemlya]] Test Range in the Arctic Ocean, doing so on 20 October 1961,<ref>{{cite book |author1=Polmar, Norman |author2=White, Michael |title=Project Azorian: The CIA and the Raising of the K-129 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2010 |page=21 |isbn=978-1-59114-690-2}}</ref> just ten days before the gigantic 50&nbsp;Mt [[Tsar Bomba]]'s detonation in the same general area. The United States eventually conducted a similar test in the Pacific Ocean on 6 May 1962, with a Polaris A-2 launched from {{USS|Ethan Allen|SSBN-608}} as part of the [[nuclear test]] series [[Operation Dominic]]. The first Soviet SSBN with 16 missiles was the [[Yankee-class submarine|Project 667A]] (Yankee class), which first entered service in 1967 with 32 boats completed by 1974.<ref>Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 403</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_667a.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines - Project 667A|website=russianships.info}}</ref> By the time the first Yankee was commissioned the US had built 41 SSBNs, nicknamed the "[[41 for Freedom]]".<ref>Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 610–613</ref><ref name="Polmar American Submarine, p. 133">Polmar American Submarine, p. 133</ref>
The world's first operational nuclear-powered [[ballistic missile submarine]] (SSBN) was {{USS|George Washington|SSBN-598}} with 16 [[Polaris missile|Polaris A-1]] missiles, which entered service in December 1959 and conducted the first SSBN deterrent patrol November 1960 – January 1961.<ref>Friedman, p. 196</ref> ''George Washington'' also conducted the first successful submerged SLBM launch with a Polaris A-1 on 20 July 1960.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1963/1963%20-%201949.html |title=Missiles 1963 |journal=[[Flight International]] |date=7 November 1963 |page=752}}</ref> Forty days later, the Soviet Union made its first successful underwater launch of a submarine ballistic missile in the White Sea, on 10 September 1960 from the same converted [[Project 611]] ([[NATO reporting name]] Zulu-IV class) submarine that first launched the R-11FM.<ref name=NiZ>{{cite web |url=http://www.nkj.ru/archive/articles/10079/ |title=Start razreshaju (in Russian) |access-date=23 April 2011 |last=Dygalo|first=V.A. |publisher=[[Nauka i Zhizn']]}}</ref> The Soviets were only a year behind the US with their first SSBN, the [[Soviet submarine K-19|ill-fated K-19]] of [[Hotel-class submarine|Project 658]] (Hotel class), commissioned in November 1960. However, the Hotel class carried only three [[R-13 (missile)|R-13 missiles]] (NATO reporting name SS-N-4) each and had to surface and raise the missile to launch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_658.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 658|website=russianships.info}}</ref> Submerged launch was not an operational capability for the Soviets until 1963, when the [[R-21 (missile)|R-21 missile]] (SS-N-5) was first backfitted to Project 658 (Hotel class) and [[Golf-class submarine|Project 629]] (Golf class) submarines.<ref name="Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 355–357">Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 355–357</ref> The Soviet Union was able to beat the U.S. in launching and testing the first SLBM with a live nuclear warhead, an [[R-13 (missile)|R-13]] that detonated in the [[Novaya Zemlya]] Test Range in the Arctic Ocean, doing so on 20 October 1961,<ref>{{cite book |author1=Polmar, Norman |author2=White, Michael |title=Project Azorian: The CIA and the Raising of the K-129 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2010 |page=21 |isbn=978-1-59114-690-2}}</ref> just ten days before the gigantic 50&nbsp;Mt [[Tsar Bomba]]'s detonation in the same general area. The United States eventually conducted a similar test in the Pacific Ocean on 6 May 1962, with a Polaris A-2 launched from {{USS|Ethan Allen|SSBN-608}} as part of the [[nuclear test]] series [[Operation Dominic]]. The first Soviet SSBN with 16 missiles was the [[Yankee-class submarine|Project 667A]] (Yankee class), which first entered service in 1967 with 32 boats completed by 1974.<ref>Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 403</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_667a.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 667A|website=russianships.info}}</ref> By the time the first Yankee was commissioned the US had built 41 SSBNs, nicknamed the "[[41 for Freedom]]".<ref>Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 610–613</ref><ref name="Polmar American Submarine, p. 133">Polmar American Submarine, p. 133</ref>
[[File:Snle-snle-ng-svg.svg|thumb|French [[M45 SLBM]] and [[M51 SLBM]] in cross-section of a submarine.]]
[[File:Snle-snle-ng-svg.svg|thumb|French [[M45 SLBM]] and [[M51 SLBM]] in cross-section of a submarine.]]


===Deployment and further development===
===Deployment and further development===
The short range of the early SLBMs dictated basing and deployment locations. By the late 1960s the Polaris A-3 was deployed on all US SSBNs with a range of {{convert|4600|km|nmi}}, a great improvement on the {{convert|1900|km|nmi}} range of Polaris A-1.  The A-3 also had three warheads that landed in a pattern around a single target.<ref>Friedman, pp. 199–200</ref><ref>Polmar American Submarine, pp. 131–133</ref> The Yankee class was initially equipped with the [[R-27 Zyb]] missile (SS-N-6) with a range of {{convert|2400|km|nmi}}. The US was much more fortunate in its basing arrangements than the Soviets. Thanks to [[NATO]] and the US possession of [[Guam]], US SSBNs were permanently forward deployed at Advanced Refit Sites in [[Holy Loch]], Scotland, [[Naval Station Rota|Rota, Spain]], and Guam by the middle 1960s, resulting in short transit times to patrol areas near the Soviet Union. The SSBN facilities at the Advanced Refit Sites were austere, with only a [[submarine tender]] and [[floating dry dock]]. Converted merchant ships [[hull classification symbol|designated T-AKs]] ([[Military Sealift Command]] cargo ships) were provided to ferry missiles and supplies to the sites. With two rotating crews per boat, about one-third of the total US force could be in a patrol area at any time. The Soviet bases, in the [[Murmansk]] area for the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] and the [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]] area for the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], required their SSBNs to make a long transit (through NATO-monitored waters in the Atlantic) to their mid-ocean patrol areas to hold the continental United States ([[CONUS]]) at risk. This resulted in only a small percentage of the Soviet force occupying patrol areas at any time, and was a great motivation for longer-range Soviet SLBMs, which would allow them to patrol close to their bases, in areas sometimes referred to as "deep bastions". These missiles were the [[R-29 Vysota]] series (SS-N-8, SS-N-18, SS-N-23), equipped on [[Delta-class submarine|Projects 667B, 667BD, 667BDR, and 667BDRM]] (Delta-I through Delta-IV classes).<ref name="Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 355–357"/> The SS-N-8, with a range of {{convert|7700|km|nmi}}, entered service on the first Delta-I boat in 1972, before the Yankee class was even completed. A total of 43 Delta-class boats of all types entered service 1972–90, with the SS-N-18 on the Delta III class and the [[R-29RM Shtil]] (SS-N-23) on the Delta IV class.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_667b.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines - Project 667B|website=russianships.info}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_667bd.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines - Project 667BD|website=russianships.info}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_667bdr.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines - Project 667BDR|website=russianships.info}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_667bdrm.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines - Project 667BDRM|website=russianships.info}}</ref> The new missiles had increased range and eventually multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles ([[MIRV]]), multiple warheads that could each hit a different target.<ref name="Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 355–357"/>
The short range of the early SLBMs dictated basing and deployment locations. By the late 1960s the Polaris A-3 was deployed on all US SSBNs with a range of {{convert|4600|km|nmi}}, a great improvement on the {{convert|1900|km|nmi}} range of Polaris A-1.  The A-3 also had three warheads that landed in a pattern around a single target.<ref>Friedman, pp. 199–200</ref><ref>Polmar American Submarine, pp. 131–133</ref> The Yankee class was initially equipped with the [[R-27 Zyb]] missile (SS-N-6) with a range of {{convert|2400|km|nmi}}. The US was much more fortunate in its basing arrangements than the Soviets. Thanks to [[NATO]] and the US possession of [[Guam]], US SSBNs were permanently forward deployed at Advanced Refit Sites in [[Holy Loch]], Scotland, [[Naval Station Rota|Rota, Spain]], and Guam by the middle 1960s, resulting in short transit times to patrol areas near the Soviet Union. The SSBN facilities at the Advanced Refit Sites were austere, with only a [[submarine tender]] and [[floating dry dock]]. Converted merchant ships [[hull classification symbol|designated T-AKs]] ([[Military Sealift Command]] cargo ships) were provided to ferry missiles and supplies to the sites. With two rotating crews per boat, about one-third of the total US force could be in a patrol area at any time. The Soviet bases, in the [[Murmansk]] area for the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] and the [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]] area for the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], required their SSBNs to make a long transit (through NATO-monitored waters in the Atlantic) to their mid-ocean patrol areas to hold the continental United States ([[CONUS]]) at risk. This resulted in only a small percentage of the Soviet force occupying patrol areas at any time, and was a great motivation for longer-range Soviet SLBMs, which would allow them to patrol close to their bases, in areas sometimes referred to as "deep bastions". These missiles were the [[R-29 Vysota]] series (SS-N-8, SS-N-18, SS-N-23), equipped on [[Delta-class submarine|Projects 667B, 667BD, 667BDR, and 667BDRM]] (Delta-I through Delta-IV classes).<ref name="Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 355–357"/> The SS-N-8, with a range of {{convert|7700|km|nmi}}, entered service on the first Delta-I boat in 1972, before the Yankee class was even completed. A total of 43 Delta-class boats of all types entered service 1972–90, with the SS-N-18 on the Delta III class and the [[R-29RM Shtil]] (SS-N-23) on the Delta IV class.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_667b.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 667B|website=russianships.info}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_667bd.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 667BD|website=russianships.info}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_667bdr.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 667BDR|website=russianships.info}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_667bdrm.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 667BDRM|website=russianships.info}}</ref> The new missiles had increased range and eventually multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles ([[MIRV]]), multiple warheads that could each hit a different target.<ref name="Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 355–357"/>


===Poseidon and Trident I===
===Poseidon and Trident I===
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===Trident and Typhoon submarines===
===Trident and Typhoon submarines===
[[File:Trident II missile cropped.jpg|right|thumb|A [[Trident II missile]] just after launch.]]
[[File:Trident II missile cropped.jpg|right|thumb|A [[Trident II missile]] just after launch.]]
Both the United States and the Soviet Union commissioned larger SSBNs designed for new missiles in 1981. The American large SSBN was the [[Ohio-class submarine|''Ohio'' class]], also called the "Trident submarine", with the largest SSBN armament ever of 24 missiles, initially Trident I but built with much larger tubes for the [[UGM-133 Trident II|Trident II (D-5) missile]], which entered service in 1990.<ref>Friedman, pp. 206–207</ref><ref>Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 554</ref> The entire class was converted to use Trident II by the early 2000s. Trident II offered a range of over {{convert|8000|km|nmi}} with eight larger MIRV warheads than Trident I. When the {{USS|Ohio|SSBN-726}} commenced sea trials in 1980, two of the first ten US SSBNs had their missiles removed to comply with SALT treaty requirements; the remaining eight were converted to attack submarines (SSN) by the end of 1982. These were all in the Pacific, and the Guam SSBN base was disestablished; the first several ''Ohio''-class boats used new Trident facilities at [[Naval Submarine Base Bangor]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. Eighteen ''Ohio''-class boats were commissioned by 1997,<ref>Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 613</ref> four of which were converted as cruise missile submarines (SSGN) in the 2000s to comply with [[START I]] treaty requirements. The Soviet large SSBN was the [[Typhoon-class submarine|Project 941 Akula]], famous as the Typhoon-class (and not to be confused with the [[Akula-class submarine|Project 971 Shchuka]] [[attack submarine]], called "Akula" by NATO). The Typhoons were the largest submarines ever built at 48,000 tons submerged. They were armed with 20 of the new [[R-39 Rif]] (SS-N-20) missiles with a range of {{convert|8300|km|nmi}} and 10 MIRV warheads. Six Typhoons were commissioned 1981–89.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_941.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines - Project 941|website=russianships.info}}</ref>
Both the United States and the Soviet Union commissioned larger SSBNs designed for new missiles in 1981. The American large SSBN was the [[Ohio-class submarine|''Ohio'' class]], also called the "Trident submarine", with the largest SSBN armament ever of 24 missiles, initially Trident I but built with much larger tubes for the [[UGM-133 Trident II|Trident II (D-5) missile]], which entered service in 1990.<ref>Friedman, pp. 206–207</ref><ref>Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 554</ref> The entire class was converted to use Trident II by the early 2000s. Trident II offered a range of over {{convert|8000|km|nmi}} with eight larger MIRV warheads than Trident I. When the {{USS|Ohio|SSBN-726}} commenced sea trials in 1980, two of the first ten US SSBNs had their missiles removed to comply with SALT treaty requirements; the remaining eight were converted to attack submarines (SSN) by the end of 1982. These were all in the Pacific, and the Guam SSBN base was disestablished; the first several ''Ohio''-class boats used new Trident facilities at [[Naval Submarine Base Bangor]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. Eighteen ''Ohio''-class boats were commissioned by 1997,<ref>Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 613</ref> four of which were converted as cruise missile submarines (SSGN) in the 2000s to comply with [[START I]] treaty requirements. The Soviet large SSBN was the [[Typhoon-class submarine|Project 941 Akula]], famous as the Typhoon-class (and not to be confused with the [[Akula-class submarine|Project 971 Shchuka]] [[attack submarine]], called "Akula" by NATO). The Typhoons were the largest submarines ever built at 48,000 tons submerged. They were armed with 20 of the new [[R-39 Rif]] (SS-N-20) missiles with a range of {{convert|8300|km|nmi}} and 10 MIRV warheads. Six Typhoons were commissioned 1981–89.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_941.htm|title=Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 941|website=russianships.info}}</ref>


===Post-Cold War===
===Post-Cold War===
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|[[UGM-133 Trident II|UGM-133 Trident II (D5LE)]] || || || 12,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of the United States.svg}} [[United States and weapons of mass destruction|United States]] || Operational
|[[UGM-133 Trident II|UGM-133 Trident II (D5LE)]] || || || 12,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of the United States.svg}} [[United States and weapons of mass destruction|United States]] || Operational
|-
|-
|[[R-13 (missile)|R-13]] || SS-N-4 || || 600 || {{flagicon image|Flag of Russia.svg}} [[Russia and weapons of mass destruction|Soviet Union/Russia]] || Decommissioned
|[[R-13 (missile)|R-13]] || SS-N-4 || || 600 || {{flagicon image}} [[Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|Soviet Union]]|| Decommissioned
|-
|-
|[[SS-N-5|R-21]] || SS-N-5 || || 1,650 || {{flagicon image|Flag of Russia.svg}} [[Russia and weapons of mass destruction|Soviet Union/Russia]] || Decommissioned
|[[SS-N-5|R-21]] || SS-N-5 || || 1,650 || {{flagicon image|Flag of Russia.svg}} [[Russia and weapons of mass destruction|Soviet Union]] || Decommissioned
|-
|-
|[[SS-N-6|R-27 Zyb]] || SS-N-6 || 2,400 || 3,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of Russia.svg}} [[Russia and weapons of mass destruction|Soviet Union/Russia]] || Decommissioned
|[[SS-N-6|R-27 Zyb]] || SS-N-6 || 2,400 || 3,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of Russia.svg}} [[Russia and weapons of mass destruction|Soviet Union]] || Decommissioned
|-
|-
|[[R-29 Vysota|R-29 "Vysota"/RSM-40]]<ref name="autogenerated2003">Korabli VMF SSSR, Vol. 1, Part 1, Yu. Apalkov, Sankt Peterburg, 2003, {{ISBN|5-8172-0069-4}}</ref> || SS-N-8 "Sawfly" || 7,700 || 9,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of Russia.svg}} [[Russia and weapons of mass destruction|Soviet Union/Russia]] || Decommissioned
|[[R-29 Vysota|R-29 "Vysota"/RSM-40]]<ref name="autogenerated2003">Korabli VMF SSSR, Vol. 1, Part 1, Yu. Apalkov, Sankt Peterburg, 2003, {{ISBN|5-8172-0069-4}}</ref> || SS-N-8 "Sawfly" || 7,700 || 9,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of Russia.svg}} [[Russia and weapons of mass destruction|Soviet Union/Russia]] || Decommissioned
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|[[JL-2]] || || 7,400 || 8,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of China.svg}} [[China and weapons of mass destruction|China]] || Operational
|[[JL-2]] || || 7,400 || 8,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of China.svg}} [[China and weapons of mass destruction|China]] || Operational
|-
|-
|[[JL-3]] || || || 11,900 || {{flagicon image|Flag of China.svg}} [[China and weapons of mass destruction|China]] || Being tested<ref>{{cite web|url=https://udn.com/news/story/7331/2629623|title=詹氏：大陸將試驗巨浪3飛彈 採用東風41技術|publisher=联合早报网|access-date=2017-08-08}}</ref>               
|[[JL-3]] || || || 12,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of China.svg}} [[China and weapons of mass destruction|China]] || Being tested<ref>{{cite web|url=https://udn.com/news/story/7331/2629623|title=詹氏：大陸將試驗巨浪3飛彈 採用東風41技術|publisher=联合早报网|access-date=2017-08-08}}</ref>               
|-
|-
|[[Sagarika (missile)|K-15/B-05 Sagarika]] || || 750 || 1,900 || {{flagicon image|Flag of India.svg}} [[India and weapons of mass destruction|India]] || Operational
|[[Sagarika (missile)|K-15/B-05 Sagarika]] || || 750 || 1,900 || {{flagicon image|Flag of India.svg}} [[India and weapons of mass destruction|India]] || Operational
|-
|-
|[[K-4 (SLBM)|K-4]] || || || 3,500 || {{flagicon image|Flag of India.svg}} [[India and weapons of mass destruction|India]] || Ready to enter serial production<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-successfully-test-fires-k-4-submarine-launched-missile/articleshow/73589861.cms|title=DRDO: Arihant's N-capable missile 'ready to roll' {{!}} India News - Times of India|last=P|first=Rajat|last2=Jan 25|first2=it {{!}} TNN {{!}} Updated|website=The Times of India|language=en|access-date=2020-01-28|last3=2020|last4=Ist|first4=4:21}}</ref>  
|[[K-4 (SLBM)|K-4]] || || || 3,500 || {{flagicon image|Flag of India.svg}} [[India and weapons of mass destruction|India]] || Ready to enter serial production<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-successfully-test-fires-k-4-submarine-launched-missile/articleshow/73589861.cms|title=DRDO: Arihant's N-capable missile 'ready to roll'|last=P|first=Rajat|last2=Jan 25|first2=it {{!}} TNN {{!}} Updated|work=The Times of India|language=en|access-date=2020-01-28|last3=2020|last4=Ist|first4=4:21}}</ref>  
|-
|-
|[[K-5 (ballistic missile)|K-5]] || || || 5,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of India.svg}} [[India and weapons of mass destruction|India]] || Under development<ref name="indianexpress">{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/going-nuclear-at-sea/ |title=Going nuclear at sea |newspaper= The Indian Express |date=19 March 2015 |access-date=11 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="thediplomat">{{cite magazine |url=https://thediplomat.com/2013/07/indias-first-ballistic-missile-sub-to-begin-sea-trials/ |title=India's First Ballistic Missile Sub to Begin Sea Trials |magazine=The Diplomat |date=30 July 2013 |access-date=11 January 2017}}</ref>
|[[K-5 (ballistic missile)|K-5]] || || || 5,000 || {{flagicon image|Flag of India.svg}} [[India and weapons of mass destruction|India]] || Under development<ref name="indianexpress">{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/going-nuclear-at-sea/ |title=Going nuclear at sea |newspaper= The Indian Express |date=19 March 2015 |access-date=11 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="thediplomat">{{cite magazine |url=https://thediplomat.com/2013/07/indias-first-ballistic-missile-sub-to-begin-sea-trials/ |title=India's First Ballistic Missile Sub to Begin Sea Trials |magazine=The Diplomat |date=30 July 2013 |access-date=11 January 2017}}</ref>
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|
|
|{{flagicon image|Flag of North Korea.svg}} [[Korean People's Army Strategic Force|North Korea]]
|{{flagicon image|Flag of North Korea.svg}} [[Korean People's Army Strategic Force|North Korea]]
|Being tested<ref>{{Cite web|title=PS-1 mod|url=http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets/Specials/Pukguksong-1mod_SLBM/index.htm|access-date=2021-10-21|website=www.b14643.de}}</ref>
|Being tested<ref>{{Cite web|title=PS-1 mod|url=http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets/Specials/Pukguksong-1mod_SLBM/index.htm|access-date=2021-10-21|website=b14643.de}}</ref>
|-
|-
|[[Pukguksong-3]](KN-26) || || ||≥2000<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=오석민|date=2020-10-15|title=N. Korea's new SLBM labeled 'Pukguksong-4ㅅ,' not 'Pukguksong-4A: Navy chief|url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20201015009800325|access-date=2020-12-15|website=Yonhap News Agency|language=en}}</ref>
|[[Pukguksong-3]](KN-26) || || ||≥2000<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=오석민|date=2020-10-15|title=N. Korea's new SLBM labeled 'Pukguksong-4ㅅ,' not 'Pukguksong-4A: Navy chief|url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20201015009800325|access-date=2020-12-15|website=Yonhap News Agency|language=en}}</ref>
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|
|
|{{flagicon image|Flag of North Korea.svg}} [[Korean People's Army Strategic Force|North Korea]]
|{{flagicon image|Flag of North Korea.svg}} [[Korean People's Army Strategic Force|North Korea]]
| rowspan="2" |Dubious, neither model appears real as both models lack a separation shroud and the Pukguksong-4 was escorted by the [[Korean People's Army Ground Force|KPA Ground Force]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pukguksong-4 and -5|url=http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets/Specials/Pukguksong-4and5_GLBM/index.htm|access-date=2021-10-21|website=www.b14643.de}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |Dubious, neither model appears real as both models lack a separation shroud and the Pukguksong-4 was escorted by the [[Korean People's Army Ground Force|KPA Ground Force]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pukguksong-4 and -5|url=http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets/Specials/Pukguksong-4and5_GLBM/index.htm|access-date=2021-10-21|website=b14643.de}}</ref>
|-
|-
|Pukguksong-5ㅅ
|Pukguksong-5ㅅ
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|500
|500
|{{Flagicon image|Flag of South Korea.svg}} [[South Korea]]
|{{Flagicon image|Flag of South Korea.svg}} [[South Korea]]
|Being tested<ref>{{Cite web|last=Si-young|first=Choi|date=2021-09-07|title=South Korea tests first SLBM|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210907000950|access-date=2021-09-15|website=The Korea Herald|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lendon|first=Brad|last2=Kwon|first2=Jake|last3=Bae|first3=Gawon|last4=Seo|first4=Yoonjung|date=15 September 2021|title=Both North and South Korea fire ballistic missiles as tensions rise on peninsula|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/15/asia/north-korea-missiles-intl-hnk/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-15|website=CNN}}</ref>
|Being tested<ref>{{Cite web|last=Si-young|first=Choi|date=2021-09-07|title=South Korea tests first SLBM|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210907000950|access-date=2021-09-15|website=The Korea Herald|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lendon|first=Brad|last2=Kwon|first2=Jake|last3=Bae|first3=Gawon|last4=Seo|first4=Yoonjung|date=15 September 2021|title=Both North and South Korea fire ballistic missiles as tensions rise on peninsula|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/15/asia/north-korea-missiles-intl-hnk/index.html|access-date=2021-09-15|website=CNN}}</ref>
|}
|}


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*[http://sonicbomb.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=247 Video] showing the launch of a Trident SLBM.
*[http://sonicbomb.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=247 Video] showing the launch of a Trident SLBM.
*[http://es.rice.edu/projects/Poli378/Nuclear/f04.stratg_invent.html Estimated Strategic Nuclear Weapons Inventories (September 2004)]
*[http://es.rice.edu/projects/Poli378/Nuclear/f04.stratg_invent.html Estimated Strategic Nuclear Weapons Inventories (September 2004)]
*[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/r11.htm R-11 SLBM]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020309175348/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/r11.htm R-11 SLBM]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100502011649/http://www.nukewatch.com/projectelf/tridentkilling.html Trident Submarines Are Killing Machines Unparalleled In Human History.]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100502011649/http://www.nukewatch.com/projectelf/tridentkilling.html Trident Submarines Are Killing Machines Unparalleled In Human History.]
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/06idx.htm NavSource.org SSBN photo gallery index]
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/06idx.htm NavSource.org SSBN photo gallery index]
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[[Category:Missile types]]
[[Category:Missile types]]
[[Category:Submarine-launched ballistic missiles| ]]
[[Category:Submarine-launched ballistic missiles| ]]
[[Category:Soviet inventions]]

Revision as of 01:13, 2 June 2022


A UGM-96 Trident I clears the water after launch from a US Navy submarine in 1984.

A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead and allows a single launched missile to strike several targets. Submarine-launched ballistic missiles operate in a different way from submarine-launched cruise missiles.

Modern submarine-launched ballistic missiles are closely related to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), with ranges of over 5,500 kilometres (3,000 nmi), and in many cases SLBMs and ICBMs may be part of the same family of weapons.

History

Origins

The first practical design of a submarine-based launch platform was developed by the Germans near the end of World War II involving a launch tube which contained a V-2 ballistic missile variant and was towed behind a submarine, known by the code-name Prüfstand XII. The war ended before it could be tested, but the engineers who had worked on it were taken to work for the United States (Operation Paperclip) and for the Soviet Union on their SLBM programs. These and other early SLBM systems required vessels to be surfaced when they fired missiles, but launch systems eventually were adapted to allow underwater launching in the 1950-1960s. A converted Project 611 (Zulu-IV class) submarine launched the world's first SLBM, an R-11FM (SS-N-1 Scud-A, naval variant of the SS-1 Scud) on 16 September 1955.[1] Five additional Project V611 and AV611 (Zulu-V class) submarines became the world's first operational ballistic missile submarines (SSBs) with two R-11FM missiles each, entering service in 1956–57.[2]

The United States Navy initially worked on a sea-based variant of the US Army Jupiter intermediate-range ballistic missile, projecting four of the large, liquid-fueled missiles per submarine.[3] Rear Admiral W. F. "Red" Raborn headed a Special Project Office to develop Jupiter for the Navy, beginning in late 1955.[3][4] However, at the Project Nobska submarine warfare conference in 1956, physicist Edward Teller stated that a physically small one-megaton warhead could be produced for the relatively small, solid-fueled Polaris missile,[5] and this prompted the Navy to leave the Jupiter program in December of that year. Soon Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Arleigh Burke concentrated all Navy strategic research on Polaris, still under Admiral Raborn's Special Project Office.[4] All US SLBMs have been solid-fueled while all Soviet and Russian SLBMs have been liquid-fueled except for the Russian RSM-56 Bulava, which entered service in 2014.

Polaris A-1

The world's first operational nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) was Template:USS with 16 Polaris A-1 missiles, which entered service in December 1959 and conducted the first SSBN deterrent patrol November 1960 – January 1961.[6] George Washington also conducted the first successful submerged SLBM launch with a Polaris A-1 on 20 July 1960.[7] Forty days later, the Soviet Union made its first successful underwater launch of a submarine ballistic missile in the White Sea, on 10 September 1960 from the same converted Project 611 (NATO reporting name Zulu-IV class) submarine that first launched the R-11FM.[8] The Soviets were only a year behind the US with their first SSBN, the ill-fated K-19 of Project 658 (Hotel class), commissioned in November 1960. However, the Hotel class carried only three R-13 missiles (NATO reporting name SS-N-4) each and had to surface and raise the missile to launch.[9] Submerged launch was not an operational capability for the Soviets until 1963, when the R-21 missile (SS-N-5) was first backfitted to Project 658 (Hotel class) and Project 629 (Golf class) submarines.[10] The Soviet Union was able to beat the U.S. in launching and testing the first SLBM with a live nuclear warhead, an R-13 that detonated in the Novaya Zemlya Test Range in the Arctic Ocean, doing so on 20 October 1961,[11] just ten days before the gigantic 50 Mt Tsar Bomba's detonation in the same general area. The United States eventually conducted a similar test in the Pacific Ocean on 6 May 1962, with a Polaris A-2 launched from Template:USS as part of the nuclear test series Operation Dominic. The first Soviet SSBN with 16 missiles was the Project 667A (Yankee class), which first entered service in 1967 with 32 boats completed by 1974.[12][13] By the time the first Yankee was commissioned the US had built 41 SSBNs, nicknamed the "41 for Freedom".[14][15]

French M45 SLBM and M51 SLBM in cross-section of a submarine.

Deployment and further development

The short range of the early SLBMs dictated basing and deployment locations. By the late 1960s the Polaris A-3 was deployed on all US SSBNs with a range of 4,600 kilometres (2,500 nmi), a great improvement on the 1,900 kilometres (1,000 nmi) range of Polaris A-1. The A-3 also had three warheads that landed in a pattern around a single target.[16][17] The Yankee class was initially equipped with the R-27 Zyb missile (SS-N-6) with a range of 2,400 kilometres (1,300 nmi). The US was much more fortunate in its basing arrangements than the Soviets. Thanks to NATO and the US possession of Guam, US SSBNs were permanently forward deployed at Advanced Refit Sites in Holy Loch, Scotland, Rota, Spain, and Guam by the middle 1960s, resulting in short transit times to patrol areas near the Soviet Union. The SSBN facilities at the Advanced Refit Sites were austere, with only a submarine tender and floating dry dock. Converted merchant ships designated T-AKs (Military Sealift Command cargo ships) were provided to ferry missiles and supplies to the sites. With two rotating crews per boat, about one-third of the total US force could be in a patrol area at any time. The Soviet bases, in the Murmansk area for the Atlantic and the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky area for the Pacific, required their SSBNs to make a long transit (through NATO-monitored waters in the Atlantic) to their mid-ocean patrol areas to hold the continental United States (CONUS) at risk. This resulted in only a small percentage of the Soviet force occupying patrol areas at any time, and was a great motivation for longer-range Soviet SLBMs, which would allow them to patrol close to their bases, in areas sometimes referred to as "deep bastions". These missiles were the R-29 Vysota series (SS-N-8, SS-N-18, SS-N-23), equipped on Projects 667B, 667BD, 667BDR, and 667BDRM (Delta-I through Delta-IV classes).[10] The SS-N-8, with a range of 7,700 kilometres (4,200 nmi), entered service on the first Delta-I boat in 1972, before the Yankee class was even completed. A total of 43 Delta-class boats of all types entered service 1972–90, with the SS-N-18 on the Delta III class and the R-29RM Shtil (SS-N-23) on the Delta IV class.[18][19][20][21] The new missiles had increased range and eventually multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV), multiple warheads that could each hit a different target.[10]

Poseidon and Trident I

Although the US did not commission any new SSBNs from 1967 through 1981, it did introduce two new SLBMs. Thirty-one of the 41 original US SSBNs were built with larger diameter launch tubes with future missiles in mind. In the early 1970s the Poseidon (C-3) missile entered service, and those 31 SSBNs were backfitted with it.[22] Poseidon offered a massive MIRV capability of up to 14 warheads per missile.[15] Like the Soviets, the US also desired a longer-range missile that would allow SSBNs to be based in CONUS. In the late 1970s the Trident I (C-4) missile with a range of 7,400 kilometres (4,000 nmi) and eight MIRV warheads was backfitted to 12 of the Poseidon-equipped submarines.[23][24][25] The SSBN facilities (primarily a submarine tender and floating dry dock) of the base at Rota, Spain were disestablished and the Naval Submarine Base King's Bay in Georgia was built for the Trident I-equipped force.[citation needed]

Trident and Typhoon submarines

A Trident II missile just after launch.

Both the United States and the Soviet Union commissioned larger SSBNs designed for new missiles in 1981. The American large SSBN was the Ohio class, also called the "Trident submarine", with the largest SSBN armament ever of 24 missiles, initially Trident I but built with much larger tubes for the Trident II (D-5) missile, which entered service in 1990.[26][27] The entire class was converted to use Trident II by the early 2000s. Trident II offered a range of over 8,000 kilometres (4,300 nmi) with eight larger MIRV warheads than Trident I. When the Template:USS commenced sea trials in 1980, two of the first ten US SSBNs had their missiles removed to comply with SALT treaty requirements; the remaining eight were converted to attack submarines (SSN) by the end of 1982. These were all in the Pacific, and the Guam SSBN base was disestablished; the first several Ohio-class boats used new Trident facilities at Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Washington. Eighteen Ohio-class boats were commissioned by 1997,[28] four of which were converted as cruise missile submarines (SSGN) in the 2000s to comply with START I treaty requirements. The Soviet large SSBN was the Project 941 Akula, famous as the Typhoon-class (and not to be confused with the Project 971 Shchuka attack submarine, called "Akula" by NATO). The Typhoons were the largest submarines ever built at 48,000 tons submerged. They were armed with 20 of the new R-39 Rif (SS-N-20) missiles with a range of 8,300 kilometres (4,500 nmi) and 10 MIRV warheads. Six Typhoons were commissioned 1981–89.[29]

Post-Cold War

New SSBN construction terminated for over 10 years in Russia and slowed in the US with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in 1991. The US rapidly decommissioned its remaining 31 older SSBNs, with a few converted to other roles, and the base at Holy Loch was disestablished. Most of the former Soviet SSBN force was gradually scrapped under the provisions of the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction agreement through 2012.[30] By that time the Russian SSBN force stood at six Delta-IVs, three Delta-IIIs, and a lone Typhoon used as a testbed for new missiles (the R-39s unique to the Typhoons were reportedly scrapped in 2012). Upgraded missiles such as the R-29RMU Sineva (SS-N-23 Sineva) were developed for the Deltas. In 2013 the Russians commissioned the first Borei-class submarine, also called the Dolgorukiy class after the lead vessel. By 2015 two others had entered service. This class is intended to replace the aging Deltas, and carries 16 solid-fuel RSM-56 Bulava missiles, with a reported range of 10,000 kilometres (5,400 nmi) and six MIRV warheads. The US is building a replacement for the Ohio class; however, the first of the class wasn't laid down until October 2020.

Ballistic missile submarines have been of great strategic importance for the United States, Russia, and other nuclear powers since they entered service in the Cold War, as they can hide from reconnaissance satellites and fire their nuclear weapons with virtual impunity. This makes them immune to a first strike directed against nuclear forces, allowing each side to maintain the capability to launch a devastating retaliatory strike, even if all land-based missiles have been destroyed. This relieves each side of the necessity to adopt a launch on warning posture, with its attendant risk of accidental nuclear war. Additionally, the deployment of highly accurate missiles on ultra-quiet submarines allows an attacker to sneak up close to the enemy coast and launch a missile on a depressed trajectory (a non-optimal ballistic trajectory which trades off reduced throw-weight for a faster and lower path, effectively reducing the time between launch and impact), thus opening the possibility of a decapitation strike.[citation needed]

Types

Montage of the launch of a Trident I C-4 SLBM and the paths of its reentry vehicles
Selected Russian and Chinese SLBMs. L to R: R-29 Vysota (SS-N-8), R-29R (SS-N-18), R-39 (SS-N-20), R-29RM (SS-N-23), JL-1, JL-2

Specific types of SLBMs (current, past and under development) include:

Type NATO Name Minimum Range (km) Maximum Range (km) Country Status
UGM-27 Polaris (A-1 through A-3) 4,600 United States Decommissioned
UGM-73 Poseidon (C-3) 4,600 United States Decommissioned
UGM-96 Trident I (C-4) 7,400 United States Decommissioned
UGM-133 Trident II (D5LE) 12,000 United States Operational
R-13 SS-N-4 600 Soviet Union Decommissioned
R-21 SS-N-5 1,650 Soviet Union Decommissioned
R-27 Zyb SS-N-6 2,400 3,000 Soviet Union Decommissioned
R-29 "Vysota"/RSM-40[31] SS-N-8 "Sawfly" 7,700 9,000 Soviet Union/Russia Decommissioned
R-27K SS-NX-13 3,600 Soviet Union/Russia Never operational[32]
RSM-45 R-31 SS-N-17 "Snipe"[31] 4,500 Soviet Union/Russia Decommissioned
RSM-50[31] R-29R "Vysota" SS-N-18 "Stingray" 6,500 Soviet Union/Russia Decommissioned
RSM-52[31] R-39 "Rif" SS-N-20 "Sturgeon" 8,300 Soviet Union/Russia Decommissioned
R-29RM "Shtil"/RSM-54 SS-N-23 "Skiff" 8,300 Soviet Union/Russia Decommissioned (Under rebuild to R-29RMU "Sineva")[33]
RSM-54 R-29RMU "Sineva" SS-N-23 "Skiff" 8,300 Soviet Union/Russia Operational
RSM-54 R-29RMU2 "Layner" 8,300 12,000 Soviet Union/Russia Operational
RSM-56 R-30 "Bulava" SS-NX-32[34] 8,300 9,300 Soviet Union/Russia Operational
UGM-27 Polaris (A-3) and Chevaline 4,600 United Kingdom Decommissioned
UGM-133 Trident II (D5) 12,000 United Kingdom Operational
M1 3,000 France Decommissioned
M2 3,200 France Decommissioned
M20 3,000 France Decommissioned
M4 5,000 France Decommissioned
M45 6,000 France Operational
M51 8,000 10,000 France Operational
JL-1[35] 2,500 China Decommissioned (never fully operational)
JL-2 7,400 8,000 China Operational
JL-3 12,000 China Being tested[36]
K-15/B-05 Sagarika 750 1,900 India Operational
K-4 3,500 India Ready to enter serial production[37]
K-5 5,000 India Under development[38][39]
K-6 6000 8000 India Under development[40][41]
Pukguksong-1(KN-11) 500 2,500 North Korea Operational[42]
Variant Pukguksong-1 North Korea Being tested[43]
Pukguksong-3(KN-26) ≥2000[44] North Korea Being tested[45]
Pukguksong-4ㅅ[44] North Korea Dubious, neither model appears real as both models lack a separation shroud and the Pukguksong-4 was escorted by the KPA Ground Force.[46]
Pukguksong-5ㅅ ≥3000 North Korea
Hyunmoo IV-4 500 South Korea Being tested[47][48]

Non-military use

Some former Russian SLBMs have been converted into Volna and Shtil' launch vehicles to launch satellites – either from a submarine or from a launch site on land.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wade, Mark. "R-11". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 9 March 2002. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  2. ↑ "Large submarines – Project 611". russianships.info.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Friedman, pp. 192–195
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "History of the Jupiter Missile System". heroicrelics.org.
  5. ↑ Teller, Edward (2001). Memoirs: A Twentieth Century Journey in Science and Politics. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus Publishing. pp. 420–421. ISBN 0-7382-0532-X.
  6. ↑ Friedman, p. 196
  7. ↑ "Missiles 1963", Flight International: 752, 7 November 1963
  8. ↑ Dygalo, V.A. "Start razreshaju (in Russian)". Nauka i Zhizn'. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  9. ↑ "Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 658". russianships.info.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 355–357
  11. ↑ Polmar, Norman; White, Michael (2010). Project Azorian: The CIA and the Raising of the K-129. Naval Institute Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-59114-690-2.
  12. ↑ Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 403
  13. ↑ "Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 667A". russianships.info.
  14. ↑ Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 610–613
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Polmar American Submarine, p. 133
  16. ↑ Friedman, pp. 199–200
  17. ↑ Polmar American Submarine, pp. 131–133
  18. ↑ "Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 667B". russianships.info.
  19. ↑ "Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 667BD". russianships.info.
  20. ↑ "Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 667BDR". russianships.info.
  21. ↑ "Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 667BDRM". russianships.info.
  22. ↑ Friedman, p. 201
  23. ↑ Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 553–554
  24. ↑ Friedman, p. 206
  25. ↑ Polmar American Submarine, pp. 133–135
  26. ↑ Friedman, pp. 206–207
  27. ↑ Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 554
  28. ↑ Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 613
  29. ↑ "Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – Project 941". russianships.info.
  30. ↑ "DTRA verification page".
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 Korabli VMF SSSR, Vol. 1, Part 1, Yu. Apalkov, Sankt Peterburg, 2003, ISBN 5-8172-0069-4
  32. ↑ SS-NX-13 SLBM System (U), Defense Intelligence Agency, D5T-1020S-4l7-75, 1 October 1975
  33. ↑ "SSBN K-51 Verkhoturye arrived to Zvezdochka for repairs today". Rusnavy.com. 23 August 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  34. ↑ NASIC-1031-0985-09
  35. ↑ "JL-1 [CSS-N-3] – China Nuclear Forces". Fas.org. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  36. ↑ "詹氏：大陸將試驗巨浪3飛彈 採用東風41技術". 联合早报网. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  37. ↑ P, Rajat; Jan 25, it | TNN | Updated; 2020; Ist, 4:21. "DRDO: Arihant's N-capable missile 'ready to roll'". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 January 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ↑ "Going nuclear at sea". The Indian Express. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  39. ↑ "India's First Ballistic Missile Sub to Begin Sea Trials". The Diplomat. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  40. ↑ "India's Undersea Deterrent".
  41. ↑ "From India Today magazine: A peek into India's top secret and costliest defence project, nuclear submarines".
  42. ↑ (2nd LD) N.K. leader calls SLBM launch success, boasts of nuke attack capacity – Yonhap, 25 August 2016 08:17 am
  43. ↑ "PS-1 mod". b14643.de. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 오석민 (15 October 2020). "N. Korea's new SLBM labeled 'Pukguksong-4ㅅ,' not 'Pukguksong-4A: Navy chief". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  45. ↑ "Pukguksong-3 (KN-26)". Missile Threat. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  46. ↑ "Pukguksong-4 and -5". b14643.de. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  47. ↑ Si-young, Choi (7 September 2021). "South Korea tests first SLBM". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  48. ↑ Lendon, Brad; Kwon, Jake; Bae, Gawon; Seo, Yoonjung (15 September 2021). "Both North and South Korea fire ballistic missiles as tensions rise on peninsula". CNN. Retrieved 15 September 2021.

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